Feed-water system for steamships



FEED WATER SYSTEM FOR STEAMSHIPS..A`

APPLICATION FILED JuLYlJ. 1919.

1,392,341. v Patel-M 06h 4, 1921;

Charles Russell Lang,

UNITED ASTATES* ,PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES RUSSELL LANG, or GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, AssrGNoR 'ro G. a J. Wm,

LIMITED, or GLASGOW, SCOTLAND. jl

f VIElEED-WA'IIER SYSTEM FOR STEAMSHIPS..

VTo all whom t may concern.' Be it `known that` I, CHARLES. RUSSELL LANG, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Cathcart, .Glasgow, Scotland, havev invented certain new f and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Systems for Steamships; and I do hereby Y declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others `skilled inthe art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being ,had tothe accompanying drawings,.and to letters or-figures of reference marked'ethereon, whichlform a part` of this. .x

speciiication.

This invention relates to a feed water sys-L tem for steamships ofIthe nature f of .that

described in the'specification of application forA Patent No. 1302256. i In this feed water.` Ysystem the; water of'condensation iswithf. 1 drawn vfrom the main condenser by a watereXtraction-.pumpwhich delivers. the water along the main feed conduitl and ultimately to the suction of theboiler feed pump; and `provision is made' for 'passing feed water fromthe main feed conduit into a Vfeed tank (or feed tanks) and for returning it (when necessary) from this feed tank" (or one or other of the feed tanks) to the main oonf denser orto the suctionofthe water-extrac-` -tion pump', this return flow being'vcontrolled by an yautomatic valve on the return conduit.. This automatic valve is controlled by the pressure of'water in the main feed conduit so thatthe opening-ofthevalve is reg-v ulatedgby the. Said pressure.

above mentionedfand has special reference to the'control ofthe automaticvalve on the return feed conduit with the object ofal.-

lowing the main feed supplied by the. condenser to be supplemented when necessary byY return feed passed along thereturn con.- duit.

The mechanism -of the ioat control device may, according YtoV the present invention, be

directly connected to the valve so as to ac- Application med .myl 17,

. .y Fig. 3 is a' section through Htrated in F1g.2, butk provided witha'leakl agefopening toillustrate the third method p Y f Specification ofLetters Patent. Patented Oct, 4,1921.

i919. serial Nq.31v1,57.

tuate the valve as aforesaid ,or alternatively the mechanism may be arranged to operate the valvedthrough a relay.'

I In the. accompanying drawings, which illustratel diagrammatically three methods of carrying out this invention :--v 1 v Figure .1. shows a generalV arrangement vaccording toV one method,

Fig. 2 shows a general ,arrangement according to another' method, and the valve illusof carryingout the'invention.

Like reference-letters indicate llike parts throughout the` drawings. i l

"The condenser a, Fig. 1, has at the bottom a collecting chamberz, for vthe water 'vofcondensationwherein a float boperates.' 'The float-has secured to it a leverfm which is pivo'ted at n. A conduit@1 connected at one endto the feed-tank, not shown inFig. 1,

Vcommunicates at the other end with the condenser through a valve p. The operatingarm g of this valve is connected by a link r with the arm mY of the float` b, and the valve is arranged so that, when the float drops,"the arm g will be pushed up to open the valve.

The pump. dfeXtracts the water from'the ychamber It. by means Vof a conduit 7c and feedsV it forward through the main .feed con- "duit' .s to the boiler-feed pumps. Y

.It will be seen that the arrangement shown-*in is simple to construct, and vhas few parts to getout of order. If the water in the chamber hfalls so low 'that the pump d is likelyto be insufficiently supplied with water, the float b, falling with the water, opens thevalve p; and thus the water of condensationis supplementedby feedL water supplied bythe supplementary feedconduit c. Y v

In the arrangement shown in Fig. Qithe vfloat operates a relay-valve. The float-arm m, instead of being directly connected to thevalve controlling the supplementary Yfeed-conduinis connected to a relay-valve e situated on an escape-conduit u. which'communicates with the conduit t. The arm m of the oatxis connected by a link 1' to the arm v of the valve e, and the arrangement is such that, when the float falls, the valve e opens the escape-conduit. v

LThe valve f is of known construction and is shown in Fig. 3. The movable valve member tends to be raised from its Seating by a spring y which is in tension, but: it

carries a piston a operating in a pressurechamber j, and, when this pressure-chamber is filled with water under pressure, the pisc ton holds the movable member w of the `valve firmly down upon its seating. A tank T is connected to the main conduit s by a bypass s with an automatic' non-returnvalve Va and at the other end by acondult e to the condenser.

Theoperation of thisarrangem'ent ofap- Vparatus is as follows ;The pressure in the delivery-conduit s of the pump d is normally communicated through the conduit t to the pressure-chamber j of the valve f, the'valve e at such times maintaining the escape-conduit Jclosed. As, however, the

Vlevel of the v water in the float-chamber hl falls, the float-b fallsv and opens thevalve e, so that the pressure inthe conduit t and con? l sequently in the chamber j is reduced, and

'the valve f opens andadmits waterfrom they supplementary conduit c, to thef floatchamber. v v 5 If desired, instead of the valve eopening the escape-conduit, a valve g, Fig. 3,may be subt'situted, whichv valve is arranged'to open 3`5 thej conduit tto the pressure-chamber in' gmunication in its ,other position.

one of itspositions, andcut ofl" this com- In such case the pressure-chamber is provided with Y aA leakage-hole o from which watercan at alltimes escape.

the valve g, the leakage through theleakage holeo quickly reduces thepressure in the chamber j, and thus thevalve-element can rise fromfits seating,' and lsupple-l inentary feed-water can `pass "to .the condenser.

l Having thus described invention, what". and desire to secure by Let- I claim as new ters Patent is with a condenser, main feedconduit, a v water-extractlon pump for withdrawing, the water of condensation from-the said condenser ,and delivering it into the said main feed conduit, a feed-tank, a bye-pass connectl ing 'the said main feed Conduit wahnle feed tank, a supplementary feed conduit] connecting the said feed tank with .thel ysaid condenser and an automatic ,valve onthe When the valve g' isv .Y opened by reason of the float being raised,

the, piston .e keeps the valve mi firmly'down upon its seating because the leakage opening yis so smallv as not to sufficiently reducethe pressure to allow the spring y to raise the" valve m. But, whcnthe float falls rand closes vl. In a feed water system employingafeed tank for' steam-ships thefcombination said supplementaryv feed conduit, of a collecting chamber for receiving the water of condensation from the condenser, a iioat in the said chamber, and vmeans whereby the said fioat controls the opening of the said automatic valve according to the water level inthe said chamber., vv

2. vIna feedwater system yemploying a feed tank for steam-ships the combination with acondenser, a main feed conduit, a water-extraction pump for withdrawing the waterfof condensation from the said condenser and delivering it into the said main feed conduit,a feed-tank,abypass connecting the said main feed conduit with the feed tank, 4a supplementary' feed conduit connecting the said feed tank vwiththe said condenser and an automatic valvev on the said supplementary feed conduit, of a pressurev chamber inthe said automatic valve serving to control the opening of the valve, Va vpressure conduitron'necting the said pressure chamber with the said main .feed conduit, a collecting vchamber for receiving thewater of condensation from the said condenser, a fioat in the said waterfcollectingchamber, and means 'whereby the said`- float v'controls the pressure in the saidV pressure chamber `according to the water level in the said water collecting chamber.V v v l 3. In ay feed Vwatersystem employing a feedfta'nk for steam-shi ps the i combination with axcondensera main feed'conduit, a

vwater-extraction pump for withdrawin'gthe fof-condensation from thesaid'condenser, a float in the VSaid waterv collectingv chamber, a

relayf'v'alve for controlling the .pressurein V115 thesaid pressure chamber, fand means whereby the said float 'controls the said relay valve according to the waterle'vel `in the said water jcollecting chamber. v

:In a feed water system employing a feed tankfor steam-ships;the-combination with a condenser,v a main feed-conduit', -a Ywater-extraction pump for withdrawingrthe waterV of condensation'fromthe said condenser and Vdelivering .it into the saidfmain feed conduit, a feed-tank, a by-pass connectfing the said main feed conduit with the feed tank, a supplementary. feed conduit connectc ing the said 1 feed tankvwith the said condenser and an automatic` valve onthe said 103 supplementary feed conduit, of 'a `bressure the said pressure conduit, and with the said 10A i chamber in the said automatic valve serv- V'pressure chamber, a relay valve on thev said ing to control the openingVV of the valve, a escape conduit, and means whereby the said pressure conduit connecting the said presoat controls the said relay valve according sure chamber with the said main feed con to the Water level in the said Water collect. duit, a collecting chamber for receiving the ling chamber. j Y 15 Water'of condensation, from the said con- I hereby sign my name to this specilidenser, a floatin theY said vWatercollecting cation. f v chambery' an escape conduit connected with v CHARLES RUSSELL LANG. 

